


Primary Colors

by I_am_a_closet_fanfic_fiend



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M, Multi, Polyamory, Soulmate AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-08
Updated: 2020-10-07
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:20:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 10,966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26352553
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/I_am_a_closet_fanfic_fiend/pseuds/I_am_a_closet_fanfic_fiend
Summary: In a world where everyone is born seeing two of the three primary colors until they meet their soulmate, the reader only sees one.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers, James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers/Reader, Stucky, Stucky x Reader
Comments: 19
Kudos: 172





	1. Chapter 1

I saw red. Just pure red.

Oh. No. Not because I was angry or anything, that’s just the only color I could see. All because I don’t have a stupid soulmate.

That’s right soulmates are real and everyone’s life is just a little less colorful until we meet ours. Literally.

Humans are born with the ability to perceive two primary colors and all of their combinations. Their soulmate complements them. When we meet, we complete each other.

_Gag._

I guess I should say that most humans can see two colors from birth. I, however, could only see the color red since the day I was born. No purple or orange – hues my family and friends had tried to describe to me. Just red. Do you know how many things are actually pure red? Very, very few.

Luckily it was fall in New England which meant the leaves were changing and there was a little more color in my life, however briefly. Fall had always been my favorite season, and that love had only grown as I got older. Christmastime was filled with red, but it was also filled with my relatives and their soulmates. Valentine’s Day was even worse for obvious reasons. But fall, fall was just colorful.

* * *

I had stopped in to my favorite book store on my way home for work when my world changed. Lost in a book of poetry I had picked up, I failed to notice the man browsing through the records I was walking past until I bumped straight into him.

“Oh my god, I’m so sor…” “No, no. My apologi…”

We both froze when we looked at each other.

His hair was a bright color, cheerier than the red I was accustomed to seeing, but I had nothing to compare it to. He was staring at me like I was an alien and I wasn’t sure how to take that. Usually people were happier when they met their soulmate. Of course after twenty-six years of doctors telling me I didn’t have a soulmate, I was confused about why I could suddenly see other colors. Of course I was even more confused about why I couldn’t see all of the colors. Some things were still gray, notably his eyes. Eyes that looked guilty.

“You… I… um… hi. I’m Steve,” he stammered out.

That much I had pieced together. I didn’t live in a hole, I had seen Captain America on the news. I never expected to run into him in a hole in the wall book store, much less that he’d be my soulmate… maybe? Shaking myself from my inner monologue, I reached out and shook his outstretched hand.

“Nice to meet you, Steve. I’m y/n.”

“That’s a beautiful name,” he smiled serenely before he seemed to catch himself. “It was nice to meet you. I’ve got to go.”

He practically sprinted away and you were left hurt, confused, and maybe just a little bit hopeful.


	2. Chapter 2

“Where have you been? I’ve been calling you. You said you’d be home four hours ago!” My roommate demanded as soon as I stepped through the door. But one look at my face and she was backpedaling. “Are you okay? What happened?” 

“I just lost track of time.” 

“Really because you look like you saw a ghost.” 

I shrugged as I tossed my jacket on the hook. It wasn’t a total lie. After Steve had run out, I had frozen for about ten seconds before I took off after him. Unfortunately ten seconds was enough for him to get away. After that I had wandered around taking in the new colors I could suddenly see. It was a bit overwhelming. 

“Is that a new shirt? It’s a pretty color,” I attempted to divert the conversation. 

“Yeah, it is. Thanks.” She smiled and looked down at it, readjusting one of the ties before she whipped her head back up at me. “Wait what did you say?” 

I immediately realized my mistake. So much for a diversion. 

“I said it was pretty,” I lied as I sorted the mail. I could feel her staring at me. 

Sure enough when I looked up, her arms were crossed over her chest and her eyebrows were almost in her hairline. 

“No you said it was a pretty color.” Her voice was firm, but she continued softly, “Y/n, did you-” 

“I don’t know.” 

“How do you not know?” She gaped. “Okay, sit down. Tell me everything.” 

I knew there was no point in lying, so I curled up on one end of the couch. She sat down opposite me and patiently waited for me to start. 

“So after work, I stopped into Bookends. Just like every other Friday. I was reading a book of poetry, not paying attention to where I was going, when I walked into a brick wall disguised as a man. After that, the world wasn’t all gray and red anymore,” I sighed wistfully. 

“Why aren’t you happier about this? I thought you always wanted a soulmate.” 

“I just wanted to be normal. It got old quick being called an ‘anomaly’ by my doctors. Of course it beat ‘freak’.” 

“Honey,” she reached out squeezed my hand as I tucked my knees under my chin. “So shouldn’t you be happy. You finally are normal. Not that you needed to be,” she added quickly. 

I exhaled a bitter laugh. “I wish. But I’m still broken.” 

“You’re not broken. What are you talking about?” 

“I’m still missing something. The sky and honestly most of nature is still gray.” 

She glanced down at the orange sweater she was wearing. I only knew it was orange because I had spent an hour googling colors. 

“So you still can’t see blue?” 

“Nope.” I shook my head as I popped the “p”. 

“Well. Sometimes it takes a little bit,” she tried to comfort me. 

“Nice theory, but I don’t think that’s the case. He’s probably not actually my soulmate and this is some weird hallucination or something.” 

“I don’t think you can hallucinate like that… Anyways, tell me more about him.” She added a please when I failed to respond. 

“He’s tall. Blonde. Gorgeous. His name’s Steve.” That was pretty much all the description I had.

“Sounds like your soulmate is Captain America,” she teased. 

I couldn’t hold in the nervous laughter that bubbled out. 

“Oh. My. God. You’re soulmate is Captain Freaking America?!” she shrieked as she leapt to her feet and did a little happy dance.

“Shhh,” you hissed, motioning for her to sit back down. “I don’t know.”

“Did you meet Captain America today?” 

“Yes, but…” 

“And after you met him you could see color?” 

“Some color,” I corrected. “What if it’s just a coincidence? I mean typically soulmates don’t run away when they find each other.” 

“He ran away?” 

“Faster than a speeding bullet,” I sighed. 

“Maybe he was just surprised,” she suggested. 

“Like I wasn’t?” 

She made a face, not fully conceding the point. “I mean, if he’s been waiting all this time… The guy is like a hundred years old.” 

“So shouldn’t he have been excited to meet me?” I posed the question more to myself than to her. “He didn’t even ask me for my number.” 

“Then you’ll have to go find him.” 

“And how exactly am I supposed to do that?” 

“Well you do know where he went.” 

I looked at her like she was crazy. 

“Avengers Tower, duh. Even if he’s not there, somebody in there would have to know where he is.” 

“And I’m supposed to show up and say ‘hey, I’m Captain America’s soulmate. He ran away without getting my number so like can I talk to him?’” 

“Exactly.” 

I actually laughed at that thought. 

“They would have me committed. Besides, we’re ignoring some key facts.” 

“And what’s that?” 

“I still can’t see blue.” 

“So?” 

“So that has to mean something.” 

“Then you seeing yellow also has to mean something. And you deserve answers.” 

“Maybe I should just be happy that I can see more than red and call it a day. I don’t need a soulmate. I’ve gone 26 years thinking I didn’t have one.” 

She mulled my answer, trying to understand what emotion she was picking up on. She finally pinpointed it. 

“Why are you scared of this?” 

“What if he’s not actually my soulmate?” 

“He could still be a friend.”

Finally I squeaked out my real fear. “What if he is? And he doesn’t want me?” 

Understanding flashed through her eyes. 

“Then he’s an idiot. Even he isn’t your soulmate, I don’t know how he couldn’t want you. You’re an amazing person, y/n.” 

I hid my embarrassment. It was still hard to take compliments sometimes. 

“Look, you don’t have to do anything right now. Tonight, wine, cookies, takeout, and movies. We’ll deal with the rest in the morning.” 

“Thanks, Jules.” 

She smiled and squeezed my hand. 

“Anytime, y/n.” 


	3. Chapter 3

Steve’s POV 

I couldn’t get her out of my head. As soon as I got back to the apartment I started to sketch. 

“Someone’s feeling inspired,” Bucky rumbled as he kissed the top of my head. 

I jumped and tried to shut the folder but I just managed to send the papers flying all over the living room. 

“Hey, Buck. I thought you weren’t going to be home until morning.” 

He arched an eyebrow and gestured to the window where bright sunlight was streaming in. 

“It is morning. Have you been up all night sketching?” 

I scratched nervously behind my ear. “I guess I lost track of time.” 

Bucky crouched down and picked up a chalk drawing of y/n. 

“Who’s the dame?” 

“Just a girl I met at the book store,” I mumbled as I gathered the rest of the pages. 

“She’s beautiful, and she certainly seems to have made an impression,” he commented as he picked up a few more sketches of her. 

He glanced at the tin of red art supplies that lay open on the desk for the first time in forever. 

“You can see them all again, can’t you?” he guessed. 

I didn’t have the heart to lie, so I just nodded.

“How did it happen?” 

I took the sketch from his hands and laid it on the desk before I led him by the hand over to the couch. 

“It was so innocuous. Sam and I had grabbed lunch together and then I stopped into that little hole in the wall bookstore we found a few weeks ago.” 

“Bookends?” 

“Yeah, that’s the one,” I nodded. “I was browsing through the records and this dame just barreled straight into me. When I looked at her, the first thing I saw was how red her sweater was.” 

“What’s her name?” he asked after a moment of pregnant silence. 

“Y/n.” 

“That’s a pretty name.”

“That’s what I said,” I chuckled. 

“So what’s she like?” I tried to gauge his mood, but all I could pick up on was curiosity. 

“She’s beautiful.”

He rolled his eyes. “I can see that. I meant more personality wise, ya punk.” 

“Well, I um. Don’t really know.” 

That sparked a reaction. 

“Why?” 

“I kind of ran away after she introduced herself.” 

He sighed heavily and I suddenly absolutely needed to get the red paint out from under my nails. 

“Of course you did. Well at least you didn’t meet her in a plane or you probably would have taken another nosedive into the ocean. Why would you run from your soulmate?” 

“You are my soulmate, Buck,” I reminded him firmly. “You always have been.” 

“But I wasn’t the only one, Stevie.” 

“Peggy and I were never meant to be,” I said quietly. 

“But you still saw red with her.” 

“ _After_ the serum. And it faded after I went in the ice. She told me once, when she was lucid, that Howard had figured it out.” 

“Figured what out?” He asked with a furrowed brow. 

“The serum. It amplified everything about me – “ 

He bobbed his head in understanding, “Right, and?” 

“And that includes my soulmate potential. In a different world, in a different time I could have been Peggy’s soulmate. But that was never really meant to be.” 

“So you don’t think the serum fixed whatever was wrong with us?” There was a tinge of hope in his voice. 

“Can’t fix what isn’t broken, Buck.” 

He cracked a small smile at that and kissed me. I moved to deepen the kiss, but he pulled away. 

“We aren’t done with this conversation.” 

“Can we put a pin in it?” I muttered as I kissed behind his ear. 

He groaned. “And people still think I’m the bad influence.” 

I took that as a yes and leaned forward to kiss him again. There was an urgency in the kiss. We were both trying to prove something. 

* * *

Later, as we lay in bed together Bucky restarted the conversation. 

“I love you, Steve. But something has always been missing.” 

“I’m not looking for anything more, Buck.” 

“You may not have been looking, but it found you. Or should I say she found you,” he chuckled as he tugged the blanket up. 

“I love you.” 

“I’m not questioning that. I know you’re trying to protect me, Stevie. But you don’t have to. I love you. And part of that is wanting you to have as many people in your life as possible who care about you.” 

“It killed both of us when you didn’t see red when you met Peggy. It killed her too. I don’t know if I can go through that again. It’s not fair to either of us.” 

“What about what’s fair to her?” 

There was no malice or judgment in his voice, but his words hit me hard. 

“At the very least you should have a real conversation with her. She’s been waiting her whole life for a soulmate. She deserves the chance to get to know you.” 

“You’re right. But I have a feeling that’ll be easier said than done. I don’t know anything about her.” 

He was quiet for a moment before hopping out of bed and throwing me my t-shirt. 

“Come on. Get up.” 

“Where are we going?” 

“To talk to Nat.” 


	4. Chapter 4

“I’m going to do it. Today after work I’m going to march up to Avengers Tower and demand that somebody tell me where Steve Rogers is,” I asserted as I straightened the collar on the yellow blouse I was wearing. 

“Good for you,” Jules cheered from her spot at the counter. “Maybe today you’ll actually make it through the doors.” 

I glared at her teasing, but I couldn’t be too mad. I had been saying the same thing the past four days. Secretly, I had been hoping that Steve would try to find me, but so far no luck. And I had walked past the imposing tower every day chickening out. 

“I can come with you if you want. I’m off at 4:30,” she offered. 

“No. I should do this on my own.” 

“Why?” 

Because I don’t want to be humiliated in front of my best friend. 

“Because…” 

“You don’t have to do this alone.” 

“I’m off at 5,” I finally mumbled. 

“I’ll pick you up at the shop then.” 

“Thank you,” I whispered as I hugged her. The grandfather clock on the wall chimed eight o’clock and I swore. “I’m going to be late for class. I’ll see you tonight.” 

“Have a good day, hon.” 

* * *

I skidded to a halt outside my classroom with two minutes to spare. Taking a deep breath, I readjusted my bag onto my shoulder and hurried to my seat in the second row. The professor started speaking just as I opened my notebook. 

“Good morning, class. Today we are starting our section on one of the most important specialty teams in World War II history. The Howling Commandos.” 

_Oh great. Just what I need. A two hour lecture on Captain America._

“And I have a very special surprise for you. The real life leader of the Howling Commandos has agreed to speak with us. Captain, would you like to come down here?” 

I muffled my gasp as I and the rest of my classmates turned our attention to the back of the room. He pulled off the baseball cap and sunglasses he’d been wearing (to remain inconspicuous I guessed) as he walked down the stairs on the other side of the lecture hall, seemingly in slow motion. It seemed like an hour later when he reached the front of the classroom and shook hands with the professor. 

“Thank you so much for coming to speak with us, Captain Rogers.” 

“My pleasure.” 

“So would you like to start off by telling us a little bit about how your team operated? The history books tell us why the team was formed and that you were effective, but not so much on the how.” 

He nodded and turned to face the class, although I could tell from the angle of his gaze he was staring at a fixed point on the back wall. It almost felt like he had stage fright. 

“Well, my team was largely effective because each member of the team had a very distinct skill set, and we were able to pool those skills effectively. For example Sgt. Barnes was an expert sniper who allowed our team to operate unimpeded. And Dernier was our explosives expert. And of course Dum Dum Dugan was integral in planning our strategies. And keeping the morale of the unit up,” he smiled to himself, and I wonder what he was remembering about his team. “Largely, it was our ability to trust that each team member would be where they needed to be when they needed to be. There was not a second of doubt during any of those missions.” 

Professor Dugan prompted him with a few more questions and I was mesmerized by the sound of his voice. From time to time his Brooklyn accent would slip out which made him even more adorable. After forty-five minutes he opened up the floor for questions. Mr. Dugan pointed to the student directly behind me. 

“Yes, Mr. Winchester. You have a question.” 

I bit my lip as I watched his alert gaze sweep over the lecture hall. I half-expected his gaze to completely pass over me, but it didn’t. His eyes widened as they locked onto mine. And then he gave me a small half smile. 

I didn’t hear whatever question Adam asked, and apparently neither did Steve. 

“Captain? Captain Rogers?” 

He finally wrenched his eyes away from mine and returned to the present. 

“I apologize. What was the question?” 

I was still unable to process what my classmate asked, but I hung on every word of his answers. I tried to come up with my own question, but I didn’t want to ask a stupid one and give him a bad impression so I kept my mouth shut. 

When class was over, I took my time packing up my books, debating whether or not to approach him as he spoke to Professor Dugan. There was a gaggle of girls lingering by the door which made me groan internally. They kept glancing over at me and laughing. It didn’t take much to put two and two together. 

_Not worth the humiliation._

I shoved my phone in my back pocket and tried to hurry out the door but my toe caught on the bottom step and – because my life is a sitcom – I went sprawling and the contents of my bag skittered over the floor. The giggles turned into outright guffaws and I wanted to crawl in a hole. 

“Are you alright, y/n?” Steve asked as he knelt down beside me. 

“You remembered my name…” was all I managed to get out. 

“Well, you’re hard to forget. Are you hurt?” 

“Just my pride,” I scoffed as he helped me to my feet. 

“Y/n, about the other day,” he started as he handed me my notebook. “I wanted to apologize for running out like that. And I would like to take you out for coffee to make up for it.” 

“I would like that.” 

His smile was relieved. 

“Are you free now?” 

I glanced at the clock on the wall and shook my head. 

“I have class in ten minutes.” I admitted, though I was tempted to blow it off. “I get off work at five. Would you like to get drinks?” 

“I’d like that a lot. There’s a bar, Lucky’s, by the Avengers Tower. Would you like to meet there at 5:15?” 

“Sounds perfect.” 

“Great.” 

We stood nodding at each other for few moments before I realized I was going to be late. 

“Well I should get going. I’ll see you tonight.” 

“See you tonight.” 

I walked through the group of girls who were openly gaping at me with my held just a little bit higher. I had made it halfway down the hallway when I heard him call my name. 

“”Y/n. Hey, y/n. Wait up!” 

“What’s up?” 

“I know you have to go to class, but can I get your number?” 

“Of course,” I laughed, relieved he hadn’t changed his mind about drinks. 

He handed over his phone and I couldn’t help but note the background was a photo of him cuddling with someone who looked an awful lot like the Winter Soldier, and I suddenly had an idea of why he ran. I quickly typed my number in and save it before handing it back to him. 

“See you tonight.” 


	5. Chapter 5

“Do you want me to stay here? I can grab a table nearby,” Jules offered again. 

“No. I’m okay. I mean it’s just drinks.” I shifted in my seat at the bar, angling myself more towards the door so I wouldn’t miss him when he came in. 

“Okay. You’re going to be great. There’s no pressure,” she patted my knee. 

“Right. No pressure. Just my first real conversation with my maybe soulmate…” 

“You’ve got this.” 

My phone chimed and I opened the text from the unknown number. 

**_Unknown:_** Hi, it’s Steve. I’m about five minutes away from the bar. Sorry! 

I quickly responded saying I would grab a table and to take his time before saving his number. 

“Well, he’s five minutes out. I’m going to grab that back booth.” 

Jules smiled encouragingly and gave me a hug. 

“Good luck, hon. Just be yourself.” 

I grabbed my wallet, keys, and other essentials from my backpack and transferred them to the purse Jules had brought me. 

“I’m going to stay in the area for a while so if it’s terrible just text me and I’ll come drag you out.” 

“Do you think it’s going to be terrible?” I asked somewhat panicked by the prospect. 

“No. I think it’s going to be great. And you deserve nothing less. Have fun.” 

* * *

She slipped out of the bar once I was seated. Steve walked in less than a minute later - before I could get too nervous. He spotted me almost immediately and smiled shyly. It was comforting to see he was just as nervous as I was. 

“Hi. I’m sorry I’m late. I had to finish up a debriefing.” 

“No problem at all. I just sat down.” 

“So,” he started as he slid in across from me and shrugged off his leather jacket. “Hi.” 

“Hi.” 

“How is your day going?” 

“Not like I expected it would when I got up this morning. But pretty close to how I’d hoped,” I admitted. “So I can’t really complain.” 

“Really? You wanted to see me again?” 

He was shocked by the very idea. 

“Why wouldn’t I?” 

“Well, I didn’t exactly make the best first impression. And then I wanted to apologize but I didn’t know how to find you since I didn’t know anything besides your first name.” 

“I assumed you’d use some fancy SHIELD tracking to find me if you really wanted to.” 

He flushed red. “I considered it, but then I thought that would be creepy and intrusive so I didn’t.” 

I hadn’t thought about it, but if it hadn’t been Captain America I probably would have called the cops. 

“That’s fair.”

“I’m really sorry about running out like that last week. Would you mind terribly if we start over?” 

“I can work with that.” 

His relief was palpable. 

“In that case. Hi, I’m Steve Rogers. It’s very nice to meet you.” 

“I’m y/n y/l/n. It’s nice to meet you too.” 

I reached forward to shake and his hand engulfed mine. 

“Y/n, that’s a lovely name.” 

“Thank you.” I spent a moment getting lost in his conspicuously gray eyes. The reminder of my shortcomings deflated me, but I didn’t want to start off defeated so I chose to tease him a little. “So, Steve, what do you do for a living?” I deadpanned. 

He seemed taken aback by the question for a moment before he smirked. 

“I work for the Avengers,” he told you proudly. 

“Are you like tech support?” I asked as I tilted my head. 

“Definitely not,” he snorted. “I’m not great with technology.” 

“Well, do you work for Tony Stark?” 

“I work _with_ Mr. Stark.” 

“So you get him coffee and stuff?” 

“Something like that,” he conceded rolling his eyes. 

“Alright, real question this time.” He gestured for you to continue. “How did you end up in my history lecture?” 

“I served with your professor’s grandfather in the Howlies. He was one of my best friends.” 

I gaped at him. “Wait are you telling me my professor is Dum Dum Dugan’s grandson?” 

“Yes ma’am.” 

“Wow. I never would have guessed. Huh.” 

I leaned back in my seat as I wondered why he never told us. Steve took the opportunity to ask his own question. 

“So you’re in college?” He seemed concerned by the prospect, and I couldn’t help but giggle. 

“Graduate school. I’m a fourth year in the history program. Concentration in World War II.” 

He exhaled in relief before composing himself. “What made you decide to pursue that?” 

“My mom was a high school history teacher so my bed time stories were typically based on real events. And I fell in love with learning about the past. I planned to be a teacher like my mom. When I finished undergrad I spent a year as a high school history teacher and then realized that I loved the history and not so much the teaching so I decided to go to grad school and spend my time researching.” 

“That’s extremely impressive. Your mom must be very proud.” 

“She is.” 

“How much longer do you have in your program?” I sighed and he immediately backtracked. “That was a bad question wasn’t it? I’m sorry.” 

“No. It’s okay. It’s a pretty common question. I just don’t have a real answer. If everything goes to plan, I’ll defend in June.” 

“And if everything doesn’t go to plan?” 

“Then I get to stay in grad school forever,” I cheered. 

“That sounds like a blast,” he snarked. 

“I can think of nothing better.” 

We both giggled as the last of the tension lifted, and I grabbed a menu to start flipping through it. Steve recognized it as a signal that I wasn’t planning on going anywhere any time soon and smiled to himself. 

Conversation was easy after that. I questioned why there was an Avengers compound in Boston. He dodged the question and told me about what it was like being an Avenger instead. 

“Your team sounds more troublesome than my former students,” I chuckled after he’d told me about a nerf gun fight that had ended with a ceiling collapsing because so many of them were trying to use the vents. 

We talked about hobbies and movies we liked. We talked about our hopes and dreams. We talked about everything. 

We had finally moved on to the topic of music and literature when we finally broached the fateful day we met. 

“So do you go to that bookstore often?” 

“At least twice a week since I moved here. The owners know me by name.” 

“So that would have worked,” He hummed to himself in response. 

“What would have worked?” 

“Bucky and Nat suggested that I just go hang out at that book store until I ran into you since I didn’t want to track you down using our… resources.” 

Not a bad plan. 

“Well, you definitely would have found me. Can I ask you about that day?” 

“Of course. I owe you that much.” 

I considered my words. I eventually settled on a straightforward question. This might be my only chance to ask it. 

“Why did you run?” 

He was quiet for a moment. 

“The truth is, I’ve been with someone for a long time.” 

“Bucky,” I said with a soft smile. 

His eyes went wide. “How did you know?” 

“I may have never been in love, but I know it when I see it. I can hear it in the way you talk about him.” 

He didn’t speak about Bucky more than any of the others, but whenever he mentioned him I could hear the love in his voice. I expected that to hurt, but it just made me want to meet this amazing man. 

“Besides, the background of your phone is the two of you cuddling.” 

Steve flushed slightly, “Right. Good point. The thing is, since Bucky and I have been together I stopped thinking about soul mates. So when I met you and I could suddenly see red, I felt like I was betraying Bucky.” 

“Of course. I understand.” 

“You do?” 

“I do. Look, Steve. I’ve gone my whole life thinking I didn’t have a soul mate. Knowing that I’m not completely broken is good enough for me.” 

“Y/n, what are you talking about?” 

“Ahem.”

We both looked at bartender who was standing awkwardly over out table. 

“I’m sorry, Cap. But it’s long past closing time and I gotta get home.” 

“Of course. Thanks for staying as long as you did, Jake.” 

How could it possibly be closing time? I glanced at my watch and panicked. It was almost three in the morning. Jules was going to kill me. I started to reach for my purse to pay but Steve shook his head and handed the bartender a few fifties. 

“Cap, this is way too much.” 

Steve shook his head and smiled. 

“Please. Take it. You stayed open late just for us. Plus, I know you’ve got a little one at home.” 

He pocketed the cash with a grateful smile. “Thank you.” 

Steve rose from his seat and extended his hand to me. I still couldn’t get over how right it felt, and that made the rejection I knew was coming sting that much more. 

* * *

“Well I better get going,” I said as soon as we were out on the sidewalk. 

“I can drive you. We can just grab my truck from the Tower,” he offered. 

I shook my head. “It’s only like a twenty minute walk.” 

“Then let me walk you home,” he requested. “Please? I don’t like the thought of anyone out by themselves this late.” 

He had a point. “Thank you. I would appreciate that.” 

Even though it was only fall, the nights were getting cold and I hadn’t worn a jacket. When he noticed me shivering, he wordlessly slipped his jacket over my shoulders. 

“Thanks,” I mumbled as I tugged it around me. 

He opened and closed his mouth several times during the walk home and I knew he was trying to figure out how to restart our interrupted conversation. Fortunately we reached my apartment before he had the chance. 

“Well, this is me.” I gestured to the old brownstone I’d stopped in front of. 

I moved to give him back his jacket but he waved it away. 

“Keep it. It gives me a good reason to see you again,” he admitted with a boyish grin. 

I was almost giddy at the prospect, but then I remembered Bucky was probably waiting for him at home. And he never said this was meant to be anything more than an apology for a bad first impression. 

“I’m not sure we should see each other again.” 

He clearly wasn’t expecting that. 

“Why not?” 

“Because you’re already with someone you love.” 

“And you can’t love more than one person,” he guessed, sliding his hands into his pockets. 

“I’m sure you can, Steve. But I can’t be the other person.” 

He worried his bottom lip as he considered how to respond. 

“What if you loved both of us?” 

I snorted in response. 

“Y/n, hear me out. When you were talking earlier about feeling broken and not thinking you had a soulmate. Why did you think that?” 

“Because I’ve only ever seen red my entire life,” I rushed through the words. “Until I met you.” 

“And now you see all of the colors?” 

There was something in the way he asked the question that made me think he wanted the answer to be no. 

“No. After I met you I could see yellow. I still can’t see blue.” 

“That is wonderful!” he almost shouted and I shushed him while staring at him in disbelief. How could he say such a thing? “Y/n, you aren’t broken,” he murmured as he took my hands in his. “You are perfect. You are my soulmate. And Bucky’s…” 

“I’m what?” 

I should have pulled away. I should have run into the apartment and never looked back. But I couldn’t. 

“I was born only able to see yellow. Bucky was born only able to see blue. We met when we were so young that everyone always assumed we were both born able to see both. But we always knew that something clicked when we met.” 

“So you and Bucky are soulmates.” 

“Yeah. But something was always missing. Growing up we assumed it was because we were…” 

“What?” I asked unable to understand where he was going with this. 

“Gay. Well actually, bi. But it was a different time. We assumed we were broken. So we hid it. Bucky did a better job than I did, considering he could actually get a dame to give him the time of day,” he half chuckled. 

“So you think that I’m…” 

“Our third soulmate.” 

“That’s…” I tried to find the right word. “Insane.” 

It wasn’t true. It couldn’t be. 

“Why?” 

“Because… because…” 

I didn’t have a good response and he knew it. 

“I know this is a lot to process. Will you at least meet Bucky? No pressure. Just meet him and see if things change?” 

Despite the daunting nature of his revelation, I found myself nodding. Some part of me knew – or at least hoped – he was right. 

“Okay.” 

“Really?” 

“Really,” I repeated, trying to convince myself. 

“He’s due back from a mission tomorrow night. Brunch on Sunday?” 

“Brunch is good. I know a great place around the corner. Anna’s. Meet me there at eleven?” 

“We’ll be there,” he agreed immediately.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is late! I forgot it was Thursday yesterday...

**Reader POV**

I walked into the apartment in a daze. Jules was passed out on the couch. She had clearly been waiting up. I grabbed the blanket off the back of the couch and tucked it in around her. 

“Y/n,” she mumbled. “You’re home.” 

“Yeah, hon. I’m home.” 

“Tell me all about it,” she yawned, eyes still shut. 

“I’ll tell you about it when we both wake up. Can you make it to your room?” 

The only response I got was her soft snores. 

Chuckling, I made my way to my room and stripped out of my clothes. I managed to pull on a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt before falling face down into bed.

“Good morning, sleepy head.” 

Jules smirked and poured a second mug of coffee as I wandered into the kitchen. 

“Thanks.” 

“What time did you come in?” 

I gratefully took the cup and inhaled deeply, before sighing contentedly. 

“A little after three.” 

I didn’t elaborate and she flailed at me. 

“Okay, come on. You can’t just not tell me about your seven hour date with Captain America.” 

“It was… amazing?” 

She arched an eyebrow as she hopped up onto the counter. 

“You don’t sound so sure about that.” 

“I mean seven hours felt like seven minutes. The only reason we left is because the bartender had to leave.” 

“That’s great. So what did you talk about? Did you ask why he ran?” 

“Yes.” I hesitated for a moment, not sure that I was ready to share Steve’s bombshell. 

“Did he have a good reason? Because I won’t hesitate to kick his ass. I don’t care if he’s a super soldier.” 

“It’s a good reason. He’s already with somebody.” 

She nodded, unfazed and I sunk into a chair with my bowl of cereal. 

“Okay, but people have relationships all the time. It’s typically a given if they find their soulmates, it’s over…” 

“It’s more complicated than that.” 

“How?” 

“The person he’s with is his soulmate.” 

“But I thought… you and he. Didn’t he?”

I knew what question she was trying to get at. 

“He saw red when he met me,” I explained. “He saw blue and yellow before.” 

She slid off the counter and joined me at the table. 

“Sorry. I’m just confused. So prior to meeting you, he couldn’t see red?” 

“Correct.” 

“So why does he think he already has a soulmate?” 

“He was born only able to see yellow. The man he’s with was born able to see blue. He thinks there’s three of us who are meant to be together.” 

I was waiting for her to start laughing or call me crazy, but instead she hmphed and smiled. 

“It finally makes sense.”

“I’m sorry what?” 

“It makes sense. Most people can see two primary colors and they’re meant for one other person. You can see one so you’re meant for two other people.” 

I was floored by her reaction. 

“How are you accepting this so easily? This is the craziest thing I’ve ever heard.” 

“Why do you think it’s so crazy?” 

“Have you ever heard of a person having two soulmates?” 

“No. But so what?” 

“So I’ve spent my whole life thinking I was going to be alone and now someone is trying to tell me I’m meant for two people. Excuse me for not jumping on the crazy wagon immediately. I like to think the simplest answer is the correct one.” 

She reached out and squeezed my hand. 

“Y/n, honey. I agree completely. But what makes more sense? That you are meant to love and be loved by two people or that you’re meant to be alone.” 

I didn’t answer immediately, making her frown. 

“That’s not meant to be a hard question.” 

“I mean there are people who aren’t meant to have soulmates,” I mumbled. 

“Yes,” she conceded. “But they can see all of the colors. They are complete on their own. Honey, if there is one person in this entire world who has a big enough heart to have two soulmates, it’s you. And you deserve so much love.” 

“I don’t want to be a third wheel. Steve and Bucky have been in love their whole lives.” 

“You’re not going to be a third wheel. Not if you’re really all meant to be together. Y/n, you were scared when Steve ran away because you thought he didn’t want you. But he obviously does. There’s no reason Bucky won’t too.” 

“Here’s hoping.” 

* * *

**Steve’s POV**

Bucky was staring silently at me from his place by the window. 

“Are you going to say anything, Buck?” 

“I can’t believe you told her. We agreed that we weren’t going to tell her about me.” 

“It was either tell her or lose her. What would you have had me do?” I huffed. 

“I don’t know. Just not tell her. It’s too much pressure. You’re setting her up for heartbreak if we’re not meant for each other.” 

“We are meant for each other. All of us. I can feel it, Buck.” 

He ignored me and turned on his heel to go out onto the balcony. Hopping to my feet, I followed him out. 

“I didn’t just tell her because she was about to leave.”

He glanced at me before focusing back on the sun sinking below the horizon. 

“Then why?” 

I frowned, thinking about the defeated expression on her face when she told me she knew about Bucky. 

“She’s spent her whole life thinking she was broken. Just like we did. I couldn’t let her go another day thinking that.” 

He turned to me, leaning on the railing. 

“Yeah, but now you’ve gotten this girl’s hopes up and she’s just going to be disappointed.” 

“What do you mean disappointed. I’m telling you, she’s our soulmate.” 

“I believe you. But even if that’s true, she’s going to be disappointed when she finds out her second soulmate is me.” 

“Why would she be disappointed with you?” 

He snorted humorlessly. 

“You mean apart from the fact that I’m a damaged ex-assasin?” 

I took a deep breath before taking his hand in mine. 

“Bucky, you aren’t damaged. And y/n is going to love you for exactly who you are. Like I do.” 

“Steve, after everything I’ve done. I don’t deserve two soulmates. Hell, I don’t even deserve one soulmate.” 

“Buck, after everything you’ve been through, there’s no one I can think of who deserves two soulmates more than you. You deserve all the love in the world.” 

Taking his face between my hands, I kissed him softly. 

“I love you.” 

“I love you too.” 


	7. Chapter 7

**Bucky’s POV**

I tugged the blue polo over my head and then smoothed my hair down. As I straightened my collar Steve strolled into our bedroom. He wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed my shoulder. 

“Hey, handsome. You ready?” 

“I’m dressed. I don’t know if I’m ready,” I muttered. 

“It’s gonna be great.” 

I grabbed my jacket off the back of the door on the way out. We took his truck instead of our bikes because I was so distracted I was apt to drive off the road. 

We pulled up to the restaurant at quarter of eleven. Steve had been nervous about being late again. The moment we walked in, I realized that it was going to be very easy to know if she was my soulmate or not. 

“Everything in this restaurant is red and white right? It’s not just a gray restaurant.” 

Steve chuckled. “It’s red. It’s very red. No wonder she likes this place so much.” 

As we sat side by side in the booth, my head whipped towards the door every time the bell dinged. Steve was holding my flesh hand under the table, rubbing circles around my thumb. 

At 11:05 a young woman walked in and waved at Steve and my stomach fell through the floor. Nothing changed. There wasn’t even a flicker of color as she made her way towards our table. 

“Morning, Captain. Sergeant Barnes.” 

“Morning, Lillian.” 

When Steve said her name I realized that I had met her at the staff Christmas party the year before. I’d been so prepared to wallow I hadn’t even bothered to think if she looked like the pictures Steve had drawn. 

“What brings you around here?” she asked conversationally. 

“Just meeting a friend for brunch,” Steve spoke casually while my heart was ready to leap out of my chest. 

“Well make sure you try the french toast. It’s the best.” 

“We’ll keep it in mind.” 

She smiled and nodded amicably. 

“Enjoy your day, gentlemen.” 

“You too.” Once she was out of earshot he whispered, “I love you,” as he twined our hands and smiled reassuringly at me. 

“I love you too.” 

His smile grew tight as he looked over my shoulder and I turned as slowly as possible relishing the last moments of hope before the disappointment I was certain was coming overwhelmed me. 

Instead my world changed yet again as I spotted her and I had to blink at how bright the room suddenly was. 

She was with another girl who nudged her forward and whispered something in her ear. With the enhanced senses I should have been able to hear what she said, but I was too preoccupied taking in every detail of her appearance. She wore a simple [red dress](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.lulus.com%2Fproducts%2Fhome-before-daylight-red-dress%2F127386.html%3Futm_source%3Dgoogle%26utm_medium%3Dcpc%26utm_content%3D127386%26utm_campaign%3DPLA_day-dresses%26utm_source%3Dgoogle%26utm_medium%3Dcpc%26utm_campaign%3DPLAs_GDN%26utm_term%3D%257bproductid%257d%26utm_content%3D42498705265_197757203220%26gclid%3DEAIaIQobChMInL-iroad2gIV1IqzCh3hOAmyEAQYAiABEgL79fD_BwE&t=YjQ1Zjg2M2FhMTY1Yjk4ODVkZDQ5ZWQxY2EwYzFlMmZjYWNmMDJmMSw5RnpQNkYyQg%3D%3D&b=t%3AIh6OoCrBy8tib9fa3ltdNg&p=https%3A%2F%2Fi-am-a-closet-fanfic-fiend.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F172812530809%2Fprimary-colors-part-710-soulmateau&m=1&ts=1601413289), white sneakers, and Stevie’s leather jacket.

Once she met my gaze though, I couldn’t tear my eyes away from hers. I didn’t even realize I had risen to my feet until I felt Steve let go of my hand so he could do the same. When she finally reached our table we both opened our mouths to speak at the same time before laughing awkwardly. Thankfully Steve stepped in. 

“Y/n, this is Bucky. Bucky, this is y/n.” 

I glanced down at her outstretched hand and took it and pressed a kiss to the back of her hand. 

“I’m so glad we finally get to meet. That color looks lovely on you,” I told her with a meaningful glance. 

She bit her lip and grinned at me. 

“I agree. On both counts.”

The last of my concerns washed away with her smile. I waited for her to sit down before sinking down beside Steve, still somewhat dazed by all of the new colors. 

* * *

**Y/n’s POV**

I had been up since dawn, sitting on my window seat trying to parse out my emotions after a particularly restless night of sleep. When my alarm went off at nine-thirty, I pulled my favorite red dress from my closet, and locked myself in the bathroom. I took an extra-long shower, just to try and calm my nerves. 

Jules was already dressed and ready when I emerged from my room, clutching Steve’s jacket. I had decided to wear it in case I had to give it back. 

“How are you feeling?” 

“Like there’s probably a camera crew waiting at the diner because I’m being punked.” 

“Honey,” she murmured, putting a hand on my arm comfortingly. 

“I’m aware that’s not actually a thing. Don’t worry.” She smiled a little. “Shit. I’m going to be late,” I grumbled, glancing at my watch. 

“Then let’s go,” she smiled hopping up from the couch. 

“I can walk there myself.” 

“But can you walk in by yourself?”

I conceded the point with a glare. 

“You can do this,” she whispered as she looped her arm through mine. 

“Totally,” I muttered unconvincingly. 

We circled the block six times before Jules gave up and dragged me into diner. I tried to make a run for it but she held me in place. 

Steve spotted me immediately and I could see the tension in his jaw. He wasn’t as sure as he tried to pretend. My gaze slid to the man to his left who was slowly turning to look at me. I prepared myself for the disappointment that never came. All of a sudden the most striking blue eyes met mine and I couldn’t look away, but I was somewhat aware of the other colors that were blossoming around me.

“I’m happy for you,” Jules whispered as she nudged me forward. “I’ll see you at home.” 

I shuffled forward maintaining eye contact, and they stood as I approached. Bucky, still looking a bit stunned, (which I took as a good sign) and I both opened and shut our mouths in unison. Steve took it upon himself to make the introductions. 

“Y/n, this is Bucky. Bucky, this is y/n.” 

I stuck my hand out somewhat awkwardly for him to shake. He gingerly took it and kissed my knuckles; I wanted to swoon. 

“I’m so glad we finally get to meet. That color looks lovely on you,” he spoke purposefully, holding my gaze. 

I understood it for what it was - his way of assuring me his world had been altered too. 

I grinned and bit my lip as I tried to keep my squeal of delight in. 

“I agree. On both counts.” 

It was the best way I could think of to give him my own assurance. Apparently it worked, because he gave me an ear to ear grin as I sat down, the two men following suit. 


	8. Chapter 8

**_Steve’s POV_ **

My heart kicked into overdrive after it had stopped briefly when Y/n walked in. I knew from the sigh of relief Bucky exhaled that I had been right. Despite my confidence, there was always concern. But now Bucky could see red and y/n could see blue and all three of us were in one place. Things were off to a good start. 

There was about a minute of silence as the three of us drank each other in. It would have been longer but the waitress came over and asked if we were ready to order. Bucky and I both looked at each other before picking up the menus quickly. 

Y/n chuckled and smiled up at the waitress. 

“I think we need a few more minutes, Helen. But can I get a cup of coffee to start?” 

“Sure thing, honey. Would you gentlemen like coffee as well?” 

“Yes, please,” we said in unison making Helen chuckle. 

“I’ll be right back with your coffee.” 

“So do you have any suggestions?” Bucky asked tentatively, his eyes never leaving her. 

“Well you really can’t go wrong with breakfast food or food here in general. But my favorite is their waffles with chocolate sauce and whipped cream.” 

She licked her lips and grinned as she fantasized about her food. The spark of excitement lit up her expression and I took note of her obvious sweet tooth. 

Until Helen took our order neither of them said a word and I was concerned that I was going to have to fill the void, but instead once Helen walked away y/n leaned back with a serious expression. 

“So, there’s really only one thing I need to know to see if this is going to work out.” 

**_Bucky’s POV_ **

I could only hear my heart thudding against my ribcage. And I looked at Steve with what I’m sure was panic. 

He squeezed my fingers tightly, offering me a grin that did little to reassure me. 

“What do you want to know, y/n?” he prodded calmly. 

“Does pineapple belong on pizza?” she asked. 

I snorted at the question and I felt the tension drain out of me. 

“I’m serious. This is a very important question,” she pouted and another shackle around my heart loosened. 

“So here’s the thing. Our friend Sam is a jerk and the first pizza I had when I came back was a Hawaiian pizza courtesy of him. So it has a special place in my heart despite its controversial nature.”

Her eyes narrowed as she considered my answer, but her nose scrunched adorably at the same time. It was easy to see why Steve had been so captivated by her. It was also easy to see that she was going to be trouble, and I was going to love every second of it. The next words out of her mouth confirmed that. 

“I’ll allow it,” she finally agreed with an imperious tone. “What about you, Steve?” 

Grimacing, Steve blanched at the prospect. “Hard pass.” 

“I have an equally important question for you then,” I spoke up, feeling bold. 

She gestured for me to continue. 

“Do you dunk or twist and lick your Oreos?” 

**_Y/n’s POV_ **

“Twist and lick all the way,” I ginned and Bucky pouted.

Steve however smirked and nudged Bucky with his shoulder. 

“See, Buck. I told ya.” 

“Yeah, whatever.” 

We traded random ice breaker questions until our food arrived at which point the conversation shifted and Bucky started asking about me. 

“Where did you grow up?” 

“A small town up in Maine. Lots of nature, not a ton of people,” you chuckled. 

“So you escaped to the city?” he asked as slathered his pancakes in butter. 

“Escape is the wrong word. I love my hometown and I go back as much as I can, but I’m definitely a city girl. I like the fast pace. What about you? Country boy or city boy?”

“Brooklyn born and raised, darlin’,” he spoke, accent slipping out. 

“And proud of it, I see. What was it like growing up in the city?” 

“Probably not that different from yours.”

“Brooklyn in the twenties and thirties was different. Quieter,” Steve admitted. 

“Unless _someone_ was getting punched in back alleys of course,” Bucky smirked. 

I arched an eyebrow at his tone. Captain America getting in back alley fights? 

“They don’t teach that in history class do they?” 

“Please, tell me more.” 


	9. Chapter 9

Y/n’s POV 

I watched from the hallway window as Steve and Bucky walked back to the diner to get their truck, smiling and holding hands. I chose to bypass my apartment and head straight for the roof. I knew Jules would be waiting for me to do a full debrief, but there were moments I wanted to savor by myself first. 

I was surprised and relieved to find the roof empty. Sinking onto one of the vinyl lounge chairs I had to close my eyes. It was overwhelming to have the whole world come alive all at once. Who would have known blue was everywhere. 

As a soft breeze ruffled my dress, I tugged Steve’s leather jacket closer around me, surprised by how comforting his smell already was. I was also surprised by how quickly I had begun to worry about them. On our walk around the park next my apartment, they had been called in for a mission and I could already feel the pit in my stomach. 

After I had replayed the entire afternoon in my head several times and committed it to memory, I finally made my way downstairs. Jules was just sitting down to dinner with her soulmate Keith. 

“Hey, guys!” 

“Hi honey, how did it go?” 

I hesitated and Keith, assuming it was because of his presence, offered to go. 

“I’ll leave you two to chat.” 

“No, please sit. I’m just still processing a little.” 

He smiled and poured me a glass of wine before pulling out my chair. 

“Thank you.” 

“So,” Jules prompted. 

“Ummm, honestly I don’t know where to start. So you should probably just ask questions,” I admitted. 

Jules and Keith glanced at each other before asking the most obvious question. 

“You can see all the colors now right?” 

“Yes. And wow! Just wow. It’s going to take a while to get used to this.” I couldn’t keep my gaze steady as I re-familiarized myself with our apartment. 

“And Bucky did too?” 

“Yeah, he did. Steve was right. You were right,” I added with a smile. 

Jules reached out for my hand, “I am so happy for you.” 

“We both are,” Keith amended. 

“Did you feel like a third wheel?” 

I considered the question carefully. 

“No. I didn’t. But, the focus was also on getting to know each other, so I’m not sure it’s a fair assessment.” 

“That’s fair.” 

“Did you set another date?” 

“No. They got called in for a mission and they weren’t sure when they’d be back. But they’re going to call me when they get home. Is it bad that I already want to see them again?” The question slipped out without my intending it to. 

“No, it’s normal with soulmates. I think it’s a good sign,” Jules assured me. 

“Do you want to see both of them or…” Keith trailed off as I nodded. 

“Definitely both. They’re complementary to each other. In a different way than I expected.” 

“How so?”

I sipped my wine as I tried to pull my thoughts together. 

“Well I expected Steve to be the shy one, and for Bucky to be a bit more gruff maybe? But he’s so cautious and sweet and soft. I think the biggest difference is about how they ask questions. Neither of them pry, but Steve is much more straightforward. He asks whatever information he wants to know. Bucky on the other hand asks very open ended questions. It seems like he wants me to be able to share as much or as little as I want.” 

“Interesting.”

“Did you guys talk about where this was going to go?” 

“Not really,” I shook my head. “I mean it’s still so early. We have to get to know each other.” 

“How do you feel about everything?” 

“I’m optimistic. I mean, I’ve only spent a few hours with them, but it feels natural. You guys both know that I don’t always do well with new people. And I typically say stupid things, and I still did that with them. But they somehow understood me.” 

I thought back on one specific instance that had happened earlier that afternoon. 

_Flashback_ __

_“So what do you love about history?” Bucky asked as I paused on a bridge that crossed a small stream._

_I hummed quietly focusing on the small fish below me as I thought about it. “Well, when you think about how many billions of people have lived on this earth. Each of them has a story and in a way it’s a tragedy that we can never get to interact with them. But history tells us their story – or at least what we think is their story. It gives me some small connection to those billions of people. And I like to dig. My favorite part of history is actually when we’re proven wrong or something lost gets found.”_

_I looked up and saw a strange look passed between Steve and Bucky and I realized that they knew all too well what it was like to become a story that wasn’t quite true._

_“I’m so sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”_

_“No need to apologize, doll.” The pet name rolled off his tongue naturally and I felt the butterflies take off in my stomach. “It didn’t upset us.”_

_“We completely agree.”_

_“We just have never heard someone talk about history like that.”_

_“When you’re a living piece of history it can be exhausting to only be seen as a story,” Steve sighed, allowing his weariness to show through._

_“So it’s refreshing to hear that someone actually cares about the truth,” Bucky smiled at me._

_“And the people.”_

_The smooth tandem they spoke in caught me off guard as I realized how in sync the two men really were. I expected to feel threatened, but instead I felt grateful that they already seemed well on their way to understanding me just as well after only a day._

“Are you glad you went?” 

Keith’s question startled me back to reality. I answered without missing a beat. 

“Absolutely.” 

After sharing a bit more about my afternoon, I excused myself happy to find several messages in a new group chat with Steve and Bucky. 

**_Steve (5:45 PM):_ ** _Had a great time today._

**_Bucky (5:51 PM):_ ** _Can’t wait to do it again._

**_Bucky (7:05 PM):_ ** _Mission is supposed to take three days. Can we take you out on Thursday?_

**_Y/n (7:27 PM):_ ** _I would love that. Text me when you get back._

**_Y/n (7:29 PM):_ ** _Be safe._


	10. Chapter 10

Steve’s POV 

Bucky and I stood side by side watching until she had disappeared into her apartment. It took another urgent text message from Maria to get us moving. 

“How does it feel to finally see all the colors?” I asked as we drove back to the compound. 

“It’s a bit of sensory overload if I’m honest. Although out here is a lot better than in the restaurant.” 

“It was really red in there,” I agreed. 

I remained quiet, letting him take in our surroundings, gently stroking my thumb over his knuckles as our hands lay intertwined on the seat between us. Knowing that I’d have to flip on captain mode when we got back to the Tower, I took the time to savor the past few hours. 

I had only spent two days with y/n, but it felt like I already had known her for years. And I wanted nothing more than to know her as well as I knew Bucky. I mentally catalogued some of the things I had already learned about her. 

She loved the smell of coffee but hated the taste. She had travelled to eighteen countries but only ten states. She also was intensely critical of historians. The first night we’d spent talking, an hour was dedicated to her ranting about the erasure of female and non-European historical figures. 

“Y/n is amazing,” Bucky announced out of the blue pulling me from my thoughts. “It’s like she was made for us,” Bucky observed as we turned into the garage. 

“She was,” I reminded him with a smile, feeling the truth of my words settling into my bones. My smile dimmed as I faced the prospect of being away on the mission. “I miss her already.” 

“So do I,” Bucky admitted. “Once we know the details we’ll make plans to see her when we get back.” 

“I like the sound of that. I love you so much, Buck.” 

“I love you too, Stevie.” 

He leaned over in the cab of the truck to kiss me and I could almost taste the happiness in him. 

“Let’s go get this job done so we can get back to our girl.” 

_Our girl._

I liked the sound of that too. 

“Hey, Sam, how’s it going?” Bucky boomed as he clapped him on the shoulder in greeting. “Peter, how did you Chemistry test go?” 

Peter looked stunned the winter soldier was actually speaking to him and couldn’t manage an answer. 

“Did you finally pay for the attitude upgrade chip for him?” Sam quipped at me. 

Bucky chuckled but didn’t fire back, making Sam look even more confused. I simply shrugged. 

“I take it your suspicions were correct,” Natasha commented as she slid into the seat next to me. 

“Something like that.” 

I couldn’t hide my smile. 

“I’m happy for the two of you.” 

“Thank you, Natasha.” 

Tony strolled in and started the briefing. 

Bucky’s POV 

For once, I was glad for my inability to ignore even the tiniest detail of my surroundings. Without it, I wouldn’t have caught anything Stark said. 

I was far too preoccupied with the memory of y/n’s smile as I told her about the time Steve got two black eyes because Timothy Sellers tried to force kids to pay a toll to play in the park. She had laughed so hard she flipped a spoon off the table when she slammed her hands down. When it landed on the table next to ours in the couple’s soup, she looked mortified and immediately tried to mop up the spill and offered to pay for their meal. 

The most pronounced thing about her was how kind she was. It seeped into every little action. She smiled at each person who passed by, even if it was just a quirk of her lips all without ever making the person she was talking to feel like she wasn’t paying attention to them. Something I had failed to master.

Despite the fact that I was processing what Tony was saying, I apparently didn’t look like it. Which I realized when Steve squeezed my knee and subtly tilted his head towards the front of the room. With a sheepish grin I gave Tony my full attention. 

“So is everybody clear on that? Barnes? You seemed pretty on edge. Are you good to go on this mission?” Tony asked. 

“I’m good. Just a bit jittery.” 

“Are you sure you’re good? The last thing we need is a jittery sniper,” Sam pointed out. 

I could feel Steve watching me and he would be more than willing to leave me behind if he thought my head wasn’t in the game. I closed my eyes for a fraction of a second and locked away the giddiness that had been coursing through my system since I had first glimpsed y/n, at least for the time being. 

“I’m good to go.” 

I saw the recognition of the shift in Steve’s eyes before he nodded to Tony, giving him the all clear to put me on the mission. 

“Alright. If everyone knows what they’re doing then let’s go gear up. Wheels up in thirty.” 

Once I had changed into my tactical gear, I texted Y/n to let her know when we would back. I didn’t want to admit I was a little disappointed she hadn’t responded to our earlier texts. 

“You ready?” 

Steve’s voice was light and when I turned, I found him in his stealth suite, shield and helmet in hand. 

“Are you?” 

He nodded solemnly. 

“Let’s do this.” 

We were on the quinjet, an hour from the drop zone when y/n’s text came through, and I leaned over to show it to Steve. 

“Does you suit feel a bit heavier all of a sudden?” I asked as her second text came through. 

“Just a little. All the more reason to come back in one piece.” 

I nodded my agreement. Even though Steve and I had always had each other, we were rarely waiting at home for the other to come back. More often than not we were side by side on the battlefield, or at least in the same vicinity if I was on sniper duty. It was strange to know we had someone to come back to – someone who was expecting us. 

Instead of finding the pressure suffocating, it was comforting. 

“We’re in deep aren’t we?” I asked as I shut off my phone and stowed it. 

“Oh yeah. But I wouldn’t want it any other way,” Steve smiled and I felt my heart flutter. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi Everyone! So this is just a note to say that this will be the last piece of this story in this incarnation. Our OT3 will be continuing on the story in a separate sequel fic. Thank you so much for reading.


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